THUNDER BAY – Elementary teachers with the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board are marching the picket line for a second straight day, although this time it’s not by choice.
A day after holding a one-day strike at three senior elementary schools, teachers at those same three schools were locked out by the board, which has threatened to close all of its elementary schools if union leaders call a second rotating strike.
A chilly Aldo Grillo, president of the Thunder Bay unit of the Ontario Elementary Catholic Teachers’ Association, said they’ve yet to determine what the next steps will be, adding he’s holding out hope the board will schedule a new round of talks or agree to binding arbitration.
“We tabled an offer late Monday afternoon. We were looking to get back to the table and talk on Monday night and avoid our walkout yesterday completely,” Grillo said on Wednesday morning.
“The offer still exists out there to get back and talk. We’ve also offered repeatedly binding arbitration, which puts everybody back to work, students back in the classroom and puts an end to this labour struggle.”
Board director of education Pino Tassone was not available for comment on Wednesday, though a spokesman said the board's lawyer was on the phone with mediators trying to set up a new round of negotiations.
Grillo, while unsure if teachers will walk off the job again, said if they do and the board closes all of its elementary schools, that’s their decision.
“It’s on them,” Grillo said.
“We’re weighing our options obviously and we’re talking about that over the course of the next couple of days. Again, we’re hoping to get back to the table, hopefully today or tomorrow and avoid any further action.”
The union must give the board 24 hours notice before walking of the job.
About 380 teachers have been in a legal strike position since last June.
